Samuel r



-March "15 1927. 1,621,064

F. M. FURBER TEMPERATURE CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Feb. 1918 Patented Mar. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK M. FURBER, OF REVERE, Il'IASSACI-IUSETTS; SAMUEL R. CUTLER, OF BE- VERE, MASSACHUSETTS, ADMINISTRATOR OF SAID FREDERICK M. FURBER, DE- CEASED, ASSIGNOR T CHARLES A. PIPENI-IAG-EN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND JAMES F. RALEIGH, OF RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS.

TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLING- APIABATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed February 16, 1918.

Internal combustion engines are always equipped with some kind of a heat radiating system designed to dissipate the excessive heat developed in the engine cylinders and thus maintain the engine at a temperature at which it can operate efficiently. It is now a common practice to equip the internal combustion engines used in motor vehicles with a mechanism for regulating the heat dissipating action of the heat radiating system. In some instances this mechanism is arranged to be adjusted by hand but more frequently it is adjusted automatically by a thermostat which is so arranged as to be responsive to changes in the engine temperature. Mechanisms of this character are used not only for the purpose of maintaining the engine at substantially the temperature at which it can operate most efliciently, but also for the purpose of preventing the circulating liquid in the water cooling type of heat radiating system from freezing in excessively cold weather.

The present invention is especially concerned with the heat radiating system of the character just described, that is, those equipped with some means for controlling or varying the cooling action of the system, and the invention aims particularly to im prove the control of the heat radiating action of these systems and to make this contral more automatic.

Other objects of the invention and the manner in which it is proposed to accomplish them will be readily understood from the following description when read in con nection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in cross section, showing one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view showing, on a. larger scale, certain parts of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing a different embodiment of the invention.

The drawings show an internal combustion engine 2 of a type commonly used in motor vehicles and a water cooling system for said engine which comprises a. radiator 4, a connection 6 leading from the upper end of the engine jacket to the upper part of the Serial No. 217,689.

radiator, and another connection 8 leading from the lower end of the radiator to the lower part of the water jacket. The arrangement shown is of the thermo-siphon system, although it will be understood that the invention is equally adapted to a pump system. In the normal operation of the apparatus the hot water leaving the upper end of the engine jacket passes through the connection 6 into the upper end of the radiator and flows downwardly through the radiator, where it is cooled, and then returns again through the connection 8 to the jacket. During the descent of the water through the radiator a large proportion of its heat is dissipated to the air that is forced through the radiator, partly by the motion of the vehicle, and more particularly by the action of a fan (not shown).

The adjustable means above referred to for controlling the heat radiating action of the system comprises a series of shutters 10 mounted in front of the radiator frame or casing and arranged to swing about horizontal pivots 12 into either an open position, as shown in Fig. 2, a closed position, as shown in Fig. 1, or any intermediate position. In order to operate or adjust the shutters, a thermostat 14 is mounted in a suitable casing 16 that is located in a chamber at the upper end of the radiator, and a connection is provided between this thermostat and the shutters whereby the thermostat is enabled to close or open the shutters more or less, depending upon the temperature of the engine. These connections comprise a lever 18 pivoted in the radiator casing at 20 and a link 22 connecting one end of this lever with an arm 24 that projects from one of the shutters. All the shutters are pivoted to a common rod 26 so that they are obliged to move about their pivots in unison. A spring 28 connected at one end of the lever 18 and at its opposite end to the radiator casing tends to hold the shutters constantly in their closed positions and thus to cut off the flow of the air through the radiator and thereby reduce to a minimum the cooling or heat radiating action of the water cooling system. As the temperature of the engine rises and thus heats up the water in the circulating system, the thermostat 14 expands and acts through its connections with the lever 18 to move the lever against the tension of the spring 28 in a direction to open the shutters, the extent of this opening movement obviously depending upon the degree of the rise in temperature.

The mechanism so far described is in common use and is, in all essential particulars, substantially line that disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,114,246, granted October 20, 1914.

It will now be understood that when a motor vehicle equipped with an apparatus of the character above described has been. operated for some time so that the engine has become thoroughly warmed up, the shutters will be partly or entirely opened by the auto matic temperature responsive mechanisn'i. If now the engine is stopped and the car is left standing in an exposed location the water in the radiator will cool off rapidly and after a time the shutters will be closed automatically; iut if the vehicle is left standing for any great length of time or the weather is unusually the temperature of the water will be reduced to such a point that it will increase the difficulty of starting the engine, and it may even be reduced so far as to result in freezing the water in the radiator. The present invention therefore provides means that operates upon the stopping of the engine to reduce the cooling action of the heat radiating system substantially to a minimum and thus conserve the heat stored in the system. The danger of freezing the water in the circulating system or of reducing the temperature to an undesirable extent therefore is very greatly reduced.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the connection between the thermostat M and the lever 18 comprises a rod 80, connected fast to the lower end of the thermostat (which in the arrangement shown is of the bellows type), a cylinder 32 mounted fast on the lower end of said rod, a piston 34: slidable freely in said cylinder, and a rod 36 fast on said piston and having a pin and slot connection with one end of the lever 18. The lo :er end of the cylinder 32 is threaded into a cylinder head or fitting 38 which is provided with a duct 40 leading from a point below the piston Pi l and coinmunicatin'g with a flexible tube or pipe that leads from the cylinder head to the in take manifold #14 of the engine 2. A hole is drilled through the cylinder 32 at a point above the piston 34. As it is well understood by those skilled in this art, a vacuum of several pounds exists in the inanifold when the engine is in operation. Consequently, as soon as the engine is started, the air will be exhausted from the part of the cylinder below the piston thus moving the piston 34 to the lower end of the vere position cylinder 32 and holding it in this run. A

so long as the engine continues to rubber or leather washer 35 may be used under the piston to seal the opening through which the rod 36 slides when the piston is at the lower limit of its 'oke. lVhile the engine is in operation, therefore, the connection between the thermostat 1st and the lever 18 will act exactl as though it were a continuous red, as use-rally is employed in mechanisms of this type, and the thermostat therefore, will be enabled to exercise exactly the same centre over the sluitters 10 that it do .s in the j t constructions. is soon, however. as: no is stopped, the partial inai 'Jlt'l ts: is relieved, or 28 then acts .ever 18 an I to close The piston and cylinder ar- "nent alforcs no substantial resistance movement since the piston inerelv .1 through the manifold l the tube anu duct it) into the cylinder The range of travel of the piston in the cylinder preferably is sufficient allow the complete closing movement of the shutters even when the thermostat otherwise would hold them wine open. The shutters t 1 nus will be mainin their closed positions until the st i'ted again. If, in the mean- 7 10 water circulating system is cooled a point below that at which the therin at to effect an opening movement ie shutters, they will continue to remain ll-l1 closed positions until the system is it. on the other hand,

eriod in which the engine has been Pei fill Y other ltBtIFOll pped s short, or if for c k :iot cooled off subllv, then the starting k, f the engine t in set no the shutters again in l osiion that they occupied was stopoed. In other st described acts shutters from as soon as the u automatically to release the (L J the control of the thermostat engine is stopped and will restore the shutters again to the control of the thermostat as 55m as the engine is started.

The arrangement shown in S ditfers fro n that shown in 1 and 2 merely in that the autonnitic perating mechanism for the shutters has been replaced by a hand operated mechanism. In this arrangen'ient the upper rod 30, corresponding to the rod 36 of the construction snown in l and connected to one arm of a bell cranl: lever fulcrunied on a part of the radiator casing. The other arm this lever is pivotcd to hand operated rod 48 that projects through the dash 50 of the vehicle and is provided with a knob by means of which it may be manually adjusted to open or close the shutters more or The lower side of the rod is toothed to engage a projection 52 and a spring 54 tends to hold the rod in engagement with the part 52 in order to retain the rod in its adjusted position. The same connection is PI'OVlClGd, however, between the rods 30 and 36 that has been above described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2?, so that the shutters. are automatica ly e leased from the hand control and are r matically closed as soon the engine stopped, but are restored again to the hand control upon the starting of the engine.

\Vhile I have herein shown and described the best embodiment of the invention of which I am at present a "are, it will readily be understood that this embodiment may be modified in many particulars while still retaining the essential spirit or characteristics of the invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination with an engine and shutters for regulating the flow of air to cool said engine, spring means for actuating said shutter to closed position, actuating means for actuating said shutters to open position, and a connecting member between said shutters and said actuating means, comprising a pair of axially disposed longitudinally movable rods and suction means responsive to the running condition of the engine for connecting the same to move together.

2. In combination with an engine and shutters therefor to control the flow of air, a shutter actuating device, and connecting members interposed between said actuating device and said shutters, said connecting members comprising a chamber having movable walls, one wall of said casing being fixed to move with said actuating device, and another wall of said casing being connected to move with said shutters, and means to prevent relative movementof the walls.

3. In combination with an engine and shutters therefor to control the flow of air, a shutter actuating device, resilient means biasing said shutter to closed position, and connecting members interposed between said actuating device and said shutter, said connecting members comprising a chamber having movable walls, one wall of said chamber being fixed to move with said actuating de vice, and another wall of said chamber being connected to move with said shutters and means to prevent relative movement of said walls.

4. In combination with an engine and shutter therefor to control the flow of air, a shutter actuating device, connecting members interposed between said actuating device and said shutter, said connecting members comprising a telescoping chamber, one part of said chamber being fixed to move with said actuating device, and another part of said chamber being connected to move with said shutter and means for applying engine suction to the interior of said chamher.

5. In combination with an engine and shutter therefor to control the flow of air, a shutter actuating device, resilient means biasing said shutter to closed position, and connecting members interposed between said actuating device and said shutter, said conecting members comprising a collapsible casing member, one part of said casing being fixed to move with said actuating device, and another part of said casing being connected to move with said shutter and means for applying engine suction to the interior or said casing.

65. In combination with an engine and shutters therefor, a shutter actuating device, a connecting member interposed between the actuating device and the shutters, said connecting member comprising a pair of rods disposed end to end, a cylinder carried by one of the contiguous ends of said rods, a piston carried by the other rod operating in said cylinder, and means for applying engine suction to said cylinder to maintain the connecting member at a certain predetermined length during engine operation.

7. In combination with an engine and shutters therefor, a shutter actuating device, a connecting member of variable length interposed between the actuating device and the shutter, said connecting member comprising a pair of elements disposed end to end, a cylinder carried by one of said elements, a piston carried by the other of said elements, said piston operating in said cylinder, means for applying engine suction to said cylinder to give the connecting member a definite length when the engine is operating and spring means for changing the length of said connecting member when the engine stops.

8. In combination with an engine and shutters therefor to control the flow of air, a shutter actuating device, and connecting members interposed between said actuating device and said shutter, said connecting members comprising a cylinder and piston, one of which is connected to move with said shutters and the other located to move by said actuating device, and means to prevent relative movement of the walls.

9. In combination with an engine and shutters therefor, a shutter actuating device, a telescopic connecting member interposed between the shutters and the actuating device and means for utilizing power of the engine to determine the effective length of said connecting member.

10. In con'ibination with an engine and shutters therefor, a shutter actuating device, a telescopic connecting member interposed between the shutters and the actuating device, suction operated means included in said ill) bers connn'ising a cylinder and piston, one

oi? which connected to move with said .il'lllt-t s and the other located to move by said ac it ng device and conoirit means connect the interior of said cylinder and g piston with a sourceot engine pressure.

12. in eon'ibination with an engine and shutter: therefor to control the flow of air, :a radiator for said engine, a thermostat mounted in .the upper end of said radiator, connecting means between said thermostat and said shutters comprising a telescoping casing having one part connected to move with -sai shutter-*5 and another part to move with said thermos-rat, a .d means responsive to .the running condition of the engine to cause said parts to move together.

13. In a connecting device for radiator shutters and actuating devices therefor, a movable cylinder, a piston adapted to recip- :rooate in said cylinder, a connecting red attached to said piston, and conduit meansifor connecting the interior of said cylinder to a source oi pressure, whereby said piston and cylinder are made to move together.

4. In a connecting device for radiator shutters and actuating devices therefor, a casin iaving walls collapsible by reducing pres. ire therein, a connecting rod attached to more Witi one of said Walls, a connecting rod adapted to move with the other of said Walls, and a flexible conduit leading :to the interior of said casing to connect the same with the source of pressure, whereby said piston and cylinder are made to move together.

15. In a connecting device for radiator shutters and actuating devices for the same, a telescoping chamber having one part con necting to more with a connecting 'rod, .1 second part connected to more with a second connecting rod and a flexible conduit leading to the interior of said chamber for connec tion'to a source of suction, whereby said piston and cylinder are made to move together.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FREDERICK BL FURBER. 

